Paul W. Plank, GWSB ’50

Paul W. Plank, GWSB ’50, who retired from the Pentagon in 1976 as chief manpower officer for Air Force operations, died Dec. 17 in Alexandria.

Mr. Plank worked at the Pentagon for 25 years. He joined the Air Force Directorate of Manpower and Organization in 1951 and used early computers for logistics planning. Paul Wiley Plank was born on his family’s farm near Brady, Mont. During World War II, he served in the Army Medical Corps and helped built military hospitals in Iceland and Panama. In 1950, he received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Benjamin Franklin University, which became part of George Washington University. Later in his career, he attended the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, Calif.

Mr. Plank was a member of the Kena Shriners in Fairfax County and played alto saxophone in the group’s band for more than 50 years. His wife, Martha Senft Plank, died in 2006 after 60 years of marriage. Survivors include two sons, Jeffrey Plank of Scottsville, Va., and Douglas Plank of Charlottesville; and three grandchildren.